Pete under fire for sex story

Pete Townshend is on the sex offenders' register.
Tom Bryant|Daily Mail11 April 2012
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Pete Townshend came under fire last night for writing an erotic short story about two 16-year-olds and publishing it on the Internet.

The 61-year-old guitarist with The Who was warned his actions were inappropriate and ill-advised in view of the fact that he is on the sex offenders' register after being cautioned for child pornography offences three years ago.

Townshend has now removed the story, telling readers that it has 'upset certain people'.

Called The Comedian, it contains a description of a sex act between a boy and a girl, both 16. Most of it is too graphic to be reprinted, but one section reads: 'She had splendid breasts for such an elfin girl: loose, low and lush; she was a luxurious creature.'

His decision to publish such material raises serious questions about his judgment and was criticised by children's charities and politicians last night.

Townshend's name was one of 7,000 passed to Scotland Yard by the FBI as part of Operation Ore - an investigation into child pornography sites on the Internet - in January 2003. He was arrested and questioned.

He issued a vehement denial that he was a paedophile, claiming he only accessed a site as research for an anti-child pornography campaign and for his autobiography.

He was not charged, but accepted a police caution and was placed on the register for five years. He later told how the allegations almost drove him to commit suicide.

Shadow Children's Minister Tim Loughton said last night: 'Given his recent brushes with the law over serious paedophile allegations, I would have thought that he would have shown more sense, especially as he is old enough to be a grandfather. Perhaps he should stick to his music.'

Michele Elliot, director of Kidscape, said: 'Responsible adults should not put graphic details of teenagers having sex on the web. It's just a form of titillation.'

And Tink Palmer, of the children's charity Stop It Now!, which raises awareness of child sexual abuse, said: 'Bearing in mind the fact that he is on the Sex Offenders' Register and received a caution, it is most ill-advised, especially considering the popularity of his music and the fact that lots of people look up to him.'

The story featured on a 'bloggers' website, in which contributors share 'weblogs'. Townshend's page could be accessed directly from his official website.

But after children's charities became aware of it he removed it. When questioned by the Mail he said in an email: 'I've taken down my story. I want to make it clear that I respect the requirements of the Sex Offenders' Register without condition.'

In an online message to readers, he wrote: 'I'm afraid I have had to end this blog.

'I'm so sorry for those of you who were beginning to enjoy it, but it has upset certain people, and I sincerely do not wish to offend anyone.'

Although his comments appear to concede a breach of the register's conditions, the only specific requirement of him is to notify police of any change of address or if he goes overseas.

However, police and social services do monitor the behaviour of people they consider likely to offend again.

Townshend, a father of three, lives in Richmond, South West London, with his 31-year-old girlfriend Rachel Fuller.

Although best known for his music, he has enjoyed a moderately successful literary career, founding a publishing house and writing a collection of short stories.

He is currently on tour with The Who, who have reunited for a year-long schedule of dates.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in